If you so choose
by Caledonia1986
Summary: The great dog demon did not heed humans... But even demons make exceptions it appears...Sesshoumaru/Rin, Daddy/daughter! Cause, lets face it, those two are just cute together


A/N: Just a small oneshot-Plotbunny that jumped at me unawares when I watched Episode 162 again! It tweaked the old nerve-endings back to life and I wrote this down in one go. I'm not sure about the outcome or the feeling of this, but I decided I'd put it online and let you folks decide for me whether its good or bad!

**Warnings**: None that I was aware of...

**Pairings**: Sesshoumaru/Rin, Daddy/daughter

**Disclaimer**: I do not own anything, I'm only borrowing! Don't sue! I'm just playing! The bunny made me do it! *_points dramatically at empty corner_*

**Summary**: The great dog demon did not heed humans... But even demons make exceptions it appears...

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**If you so choose**

_"If I died one day, ... would you always remember me?"_

_"If I died one day, ... would you always remember me?"_

Humans are such strange creatures. There she was, a little human child, not more than ten summers old, speaking of death and immortality in his thoughts. Such a strange thing indeed.

Standing guard, the great dog demon, Lord Sesshoumaru, allowed himself to think back on the events leading him to remain thinking even after days had passed and Rin herself had probably already forgotten her request of him.

He could not understand it. How this human child could follow him so loyally, so faithfully. How this child of all the humans he had crossed paths with, could not cower in fear and shake in terror at his mere presence. He remembered that day, the day their paths had crossed, and be it even as a reminder of the mystery humans presented from time to time. He had lain under that tree, waiting for his wounds to heal and his body to be strengthened again, while he had endured pain silently as his heritage commanded. And then his senses had picked up her scent. The scent of a human nearby, waking his demon blood with all the ferocity of his kind. And he had snarled at her, if there had been even an ounce of strength left in his body, he would have torn her to shreds right there. But as it had been, fate had other plans that day. He had watched, as she had briefly drawn back, but then, something in her eyes had sparked briefly and she had stepped out. It was that day, Rin had started to become a mystery to him.

And later, as he had smelled her blood, had caught the scent of her dead body, Tenseiga had compelled him to save her life. He had declared it an experiment, but something; he wasn't quite sure what it was; deep within his soul had shuddered at the sight of her corpse. Perhaps it was his nature that had realized that this hadn't been how it was supposed to be. She was not supposed to lie there, dead and lifeless, she was supposed to live and smile. And thus, he had saved her life, had shied away the messengers of hell and had brought her back to this plane of existance.

The moment she opened her eyes, and had looked at him with absolute trust in those brown depths, the mystery had enlarged.

Rin was a mystery, an enigma walking the world.

But then again, his actions towards the human child were not any less mystifying. For some reason that was unknown to him, he had allowed her to follow him. It had been her choice after all, he was not responsible for the path she chose. Even if that path meant following him wherever he walked.

And so, over the course of days uncounted, she had been there, happy in her own way, confident in the knowledge that he would be there. Why it was she believed he would aid her, he didn't know. Or why he did aid her, for that matter.

He just did it. He had found no reason so far.

But over the course of these days, he had realised that she had chosen to stay with them and protecting her now fell under his duty. Sometimes he gave that duty to Jaken when he had to leave for some time, but always something in the back of his thought reminded him the toad-demon was unacceptable as protector.

And thus, time over time again, he came to help her. When Naraku had captured her, he even abandoned the hunt to find her. Somehow, in that one unfathomable moment, her safety meant a tiny sliver more than the defeat of his enemy. He needed to make sure she was safe, needed to see for himself. He even spared the life of the human boy, Kohaku, for her sake. The way she had looked at the boy, somehow he did not want her to know that he could crush his life with but a little twitch of his fingers. A slight scratch with his poison claws would have been enough and life would have left the boy. But he could not. Not with Rin looking at him, not understanding in her innocent child-world that the boy had tried to kill her. Not understanding that he had deserved death over such a grievous mistake. So he had let the boy go, not even injured. And Rin had been relieved, if saddened. For she could not see that Kohaku had been her guard, had been ordered to kill her. And he had even been calmed somewhat that she appeared unharmed.

_So very strange..._

And then there were all those little moments over the course of their journey, where she had sat on Ah-Un's back, happily chattering about everything and nothing, while Jaken tried to quieten her. Always telling her off, demanding silence for his masters benefit. But the truth was, that somehow Rin's chatter did not trouble him. He even found himself listening to her with half a mind, while the other half pictured in gruesome detail the things he would do to Naraku. And more than once, he had told Jaken off, had ordered him to leave the child be. He did not know why exactly, but Rin could do as she pleased, whatever it might have been. Allowing her free reign gave him ample opportunity to try and unravel the enigma that shrouded her.

Sadly, he had not succeded thus far.

But he was keenly aware of a strange new instinct that presented itself to him, fierce and unbidden. The drive to protect her. He shrugged it off at first, believing it to be his proud nature that would not allow harm to come to his human ward, but he had to admit, that he would never do the same for Jaken. But Jaken was a demon himself, he even bore the Staff of Two Heads, he could protect himself.

Rin could not.

She was too young to do so, her body too weak and small to do so, therefore he did it instead. That day he heard her scream in the forest, he had not hesitated a moment before turning and charging to her aid. Something about the pitch of terror he heard in her voice simply spurred him into action; struck a chord in his innermost being he hadn't known existed. She relied on him to save her, when she fell from the cliff, the plant to save his vassal's life clutched in her little hand. She had brought herself in danger in the attempt to save Jaken, had exhausted herself in the pursuit of helping him. That had been the first night he had spent thinking about the human that lay huddled next to the small fire, engulfed in blissful rest. He had wondered what had driven her to act in such a manner.

She had told him (also while she was chattering idly and he walked silently ahead of her) that she had no kin anymore, all her family had been slaughtered. Rin was alone in the world and had chosen him to follow, the great Lord Sesshoumaru, had chosen him to lead her. Perhaps that had been the reason. Rin had no one else left to focus on and thus she had attached herself to him in that strange way humans find so enticing.

Over the days that followed he had found himself wondering ever further. Both about Rin and his own developing instincts. The urge to keep her save had been steadily growing, so much that he found himself leaving her behind ever more, away from him, away from danger.

And then she had been taken by that demon. Had been lured away from Jaken and Ah-Un, who were both so woefully inadequate to look after her properly. As he had searched for her, following her scent ever deeper into the woods, he had wondered why he did so. He had smelled the monks and he knew they would be more than enough to dispose of the demon. He knew they would take Rin to safety, but he simply had to see. Had to see with his own eyes that she was safe.

And as he had seen her in the grasp of that monk, trying to take her back to a human village, he had very nearly turned around. After all, she was a human and she belonged with humans. It was a fancy that had allowed her to follow him, but all fancies must come to an end one day. And then, with him so close on turning and leaving her behind, he had heard her shout, trusting and filled with faith in him, showing ferosciousness that rivalled andy demon child he had yet seen.

_"Just you wait, Lord Sesshoumaru will come for me!"_

That familiar chord was struck again. He didn't know what it was or why it was there, but something deep within was stirred at her adamant belief that he would come for her. And that monk manhandled her, refused to let her do as she pleased, refused her the freedom he had granted her. That alone caused his demon blood to roar louder through his veins than before. Rin never was refused anything, she could do as she wished.

_"I never want to go back to a village to live with humans!"_

That had been startling. Never before had she spoken of humans as if they were not her race. Never before had she so openly distanced herself from her own kin.

_"Lord Sesshoumaru, please help me!"_

And that had been it. The monk refused to let her go, Rin did not wish to stay, she wished to choose for herself, she cried out for help from him. And so he did. The monks were no match for his might, if he had wanted he could have killed all of them, but again, he could not. Not with Rin there. He did not want her to witness bloodshed. He simply wanted her to be free and safe.

He had left her the choice, walking away as he had done countless times before, waiting for the patter of her feet behind him. And at first, he couldn't hear it, could not hear anything besides the monk pleading with Rin to go with him, and somehow he had to agree with him. It was safer for her in a human village, but the thought of Rin being gone struck a completely new chord, causing him to shudder inwardly. The thought that he'd be doomed to listen to Jaken's blathering instead of hers was insane. Somehow he could not imagine Rin not being there. Not knowing whether she was truly safe or not, whether she was protected or not. Madness seemed to have befallen him, but he wanted her to follow him, just as she always had done.

And with each step he had grown colder, listening for her being behind him and with each moment that had passed without it, he felt a strange sadness creeping into his soul. Which was unheard of, the great Dog Demon did not feel emotion. He was not sad, or angered, or worried over the wellbeing of one small human.

And then it had been there, as sure as ever, her footfalls behind him and her little hand automatically reaching out to grasp the hem of his kimono. And he had allowed the touch, had walked with her while she had followed and chattered about the demon and how glad she was he had come to save her. How she had always known he would come for her.

And then she had asked that strange question.

_"If I died one day, ... would you always remember me?"_

A cold shiver had passed him as she had said that, a mental image of her dead body and the memory of her scent in death. If Rin died, he would have failed to protect her. If Rin died, he would not have been able to aid her. Choosing to do better in not thinking of it, he had brushed her off, telling her to not speak such. To say it would invite it.

But he knew the truth. He would remember her. He was immortal after all, and such a mystery deserved rememberance.

_That is not true..._

_Rin_ deserved to be remembered.

And so it was. The great Dog Demon Lord Sesshoumaru did not feel emotion. He did not protect, he did not care, he was not saddened, he was not angry, he did not worry. He did not heed humans.

Unless it concerned Rin.

**FINIS**

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Okay, there you have it... Good, bad, totally hate it? Tell me your thoughts! Any reviewers are welcome ... I know, I'm such an addict, I'll go hide in the corner... Oh wait I can't, the evil bunny is still in the corner... arrgh, help... review... please... *_scream fades away_*


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